The other day
by jojoangel01
Summary: ...while shooting Season 5.. This is a random look behind the scenes, following our favorite people. Little mini-oneshot series. Pure, unashamed sweet fiction. All the pairings
1. Couch

_Hey guys. This story is just a small try to survive the summer histus... when will September finally be here? The wait is killing me... Anyway, please enjoy this little stories. I hope they make you smile and help people survive the remaining nine and a half weeks a little better. Love, Jojo**  
**_

_ps: if you have any ideas for more drabbles, don't hesitate to let me know. Or follow me on tumblr  
_

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**The other day…**

**1) Couch**

Nathan walks in the break room and finds Stana curled up on the couch, deep in thought.

Nathan: Stana, here you are! I've been looking everywhere for you.

Stana: ...

Nathan: ...You ok?

Stana: ...

Nathan: Are you still thinking about that small fight between Castle and Beckett we shot before?

Stana: ...

Nathan: You know it's just acting?

Stana: ...*glowers at him, teary eyes*

Nathan: Come on. Just think about how hot the making up will be now that they're together.

Stana: *allowes a small grin but away from him*

Nathan: *Sits down next to her and opens his arms in invitation, wriggling his eyebrows*

Stana: *stares at him suspiciously for a moment but relents and curls up in his lap, sighing happily when his arms come around her*

10 minutes later, Andrew walks in the break room and takes a double take as he sees the two cuddled up, taking a nap.

Andrew: *stage whispers* Terri, come here, you gotta see this! And bring your camera!

Terri: What is-? Awww...

Andrew: Let's take pictures. Let's post them! Or blackmail them into doing everything I say, muahaha-AUA!

Terri: *grabs his ear and drags him outside* Let them be! If only you would look after your muse like he does.

Andrew: *rubbing his ear indignantly* I didn't hear you complain yesterday...

Terri: *rolls her eyes* Let's just take a break. I feel like cuddling on your couch with the coffee you promised me

Andrew: *just grins and gallantly offers her his arm*


	2. Research

_Hey guys. Oh my god, I have received so much love for this story, some of the sweetest comments ever that I just couldn't wait to post more! Thanks to everybody who reads, reviews and loves this little stories, I hope you keep enjoying them! I got tons of ideas for our favorite people, so let me know if you have some ideas you'd like to see me write out. The more love this gets the faster I can upload. This chapter is a bit longer but I am sure nobody will complain about that. Hope you like it!  
_

_As always, I own nothing, especially not real people.  
_

_Love, Jojo  
_

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**The other day…**

**2) Research**

One beautiful Wednesday morning, when Terri wasn't scheduled to be on sight for filming, she flashed her ID and entered the set nevertheless. Although she would hardly ever say so, but one of the greatest things to her about entering the Castle set is that she never knew in what world she would step into today. There seemed to be something different going on every day.

She quickly maneuvered her way to where her husband's director's chair was situated and was only slightly surprised to find him in attendance. Usually he was all over the place, planning, rearranging and ushering people around. Today however, he was sitting in his chair, calmly sipping at his coffee. That alone should have been indicator enough for Terri that something was amiss, but as she quickly approached him, her mind never went there for she was simply happy to see him, as she usually was.

Andrew: *happy* Hey!

Terri: Hey yourself. *quick kiss* What's up?

Andrew: *shrugging and leaning back in his chair* The usual madness.

Terri: *eyebrow raised* What does that mean?

Andrew: Oh, you know...

Nathan: *Running by, Stana hot on his heels.* Aahhh! Help, somebody! Anybody!

Stana: Don't be such a baby, Nathan! Just come here, will you?

Nathan: Why won't anybody help meeee?

Andrew and Terri stare to the right, in the direction their two leads have disappeared to, she confused, he with a neutral face.

Terri: What the hell-?

Andrew: It's been going on for an hour now. *shrugs* Nothing I say will stop them.

Terri: *more confused than ever* But what exactly is goin-?

Nathan, followed closely by Stana, runs by again, this time in the other direction.

Nathan: You can't be serious. Heeeelp, I say!

Stana: You know how serious I take these things!

Nathan: OMG!

Stana: Don't be such a drama queen! Come here!

Terri and Andrew look after them mutely.

Terri: *exasperated* I don't understand?

Andrew: You see, Stana started watching season 3 again and yesterday she saw "Nikki Heat". So today she decided that in order to bring a convincing performance of loved up Beckett, she needs to sleep with Nathan. You know, in the name of character research.

Terri: What?

Andrew: *grinning into his cup while pretending to take a sip* Yeah. I told her she is great just the way she is but she won't hear it. She insists but poor Nathan is apparently not up for a more intimate research just now.

Terri: *smiling knowingly at Andrew* Because he doesn't want to or because everybody is watching at the moment?

Andrew: *smiles back* What do you think, smart one?

Terri: *sighs dramatically* Oh these kids.

They share a grin and a kiss. He takes her hand and stands up from his chair.

Andrew: This might take a while. Want some coffee from my private stash?

Terri: As if you have to ask!

Andrew: *tugs playfully at her hand and raises an eyebrow* And then you can show me that magic trick again. The one where you let all my pens disappear?

They both laughed and then once more when, from a distance, their male lead's strangled cry could be heard throughout the studio.


	3. Hello

_Hope you have a great Sunday! Still overwhelmed by all the love flying towards this tiny story, please keep it coming. Hope you enjoy this next chapter...I hope I didn't take too many liberties with these people we all love...ah well. They should get it over with and make babies already.  
_

_As always, I own nothing, especially not real people. (kai filakia gia sena ;) )  
_

_Love, Jojo  
_

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**The other day…**

**3) Hello**

_(for those wondering, this is in reaction to the tweet from Penny Johnson Jerald, where she said Nathan gave her a sexy neck kiss as greeting. And please remember that although SOME of us *coughmecough* would love it if it were otherwise, this IS purely fiction…still, enjoy folks ^^)_

Nathan peeks into one of the lesser used break rooms on set, one of the few places that he hasn't searched yet. To his relief, he immediately spots the tall brunette that is huddled in a corner on a cushioned love seat. The room is mostly dark. The only light besides the one that crept inside when he opened the door is a lamp stationed next to her that she uses to read something in her ever present binder.

He quietly closes the door, not deluding himself in thinking she had not noticed his presence. Stana always notices everything but especially when he is in the room. She looks up deliberately after a prolonged moment and makes sure to paint a pretty smile on her face but he is not fooled. His leading lady is anxious.

Stana: Hey.

Nathan: Hey yourself. Why did you hide out here?

Stana: Oh, just catching up on some lines for the first episode...

Nathan: *slowly advancing* I've been looking everywhere for you.

Stana: *raises an eyebrow and bites her lip, not able to help herself* Did you run out of sexy necks to kiss?

Nathan: *grins brightly at her* Have you been stalking me on twitter again?

Stana: *blushes lightly but scoffs* It's hardly my fault I have everybody here on twitter alert...

Nathan: *stops right in front of her* I think you are jealous, my dear and have been hiding here so you won't have to confront me.

Stana: Oh please, you have a mighty high sense of your self-importance again this morning.

Nathan: *kneels down so they have the same eye level and whispers in a deep voice* Do I?

Stana: *hating herself for shivering and having to clear her throat* Y-yes!

Nathan: *grins* Then I'll have you know that there is really only one neck that I am interested in seriously sexy-kissing.

Stana: *gulps* T-Terri not here yet?

Nathan: *now nuzzling her shoulder, jaw line and finally neck* As if I wanna risk Andrew's wrath...

Stana: Who then?

Nathan: Let me show you.

And before she can react in any way, he grabs her face in both his hands and softly tilts it backward so that he has free access to her neck and quickly proceeds to plant dozens of tiny hot kisses all over the expanse of her creamy flesh.

Her breathing quickens and, against her will and better judgment, her hands clutch his hair as if afraid he might stop. When she can't take it anymore, she moans rather loudly, to her extreme embarrassment. He knows exactly what she wants and after enjoying one last shudder that goes through her body while he nibbles on a particular sensitive spot underneath the corner of her jaw, he raises himself a little higher on his knees and stares for a long moment into her mesmerizing eyes.

Then he, achingly slow, closes the distance between their faces and allows their lips to touch for the first time in a long while. He can feel the tiny currents dance across his lips when she breathes deeply in pleasure and leans a little more into the kiss, her own hands now caressing the back of his head. God but he had missed this and was pleased to realize that she had, too.

After an immeasurable amount of time, they break the contact to catch their breaths although neither is too keen on vacating the comfort of the other's personal space.

He was the first to break the silence.

Nathan: It's so sexy that you sometimes get jealous.

Stana: Shut up.

Nathan: I missed you.

Stana: *exhales a long breath but eventually smiles warmly at him* I missed you too.

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_Liked it? Too much?_

_Next up, I think, is the story with Terri/Andrew and the pens... Or the other Stana/Nathan hello-scene... Hmm... What would you say to that? Pretty reviews do make me upload faster XD_


	4. Roses

_On the one hand I am terribly happy SO many people loved this story and especially to those who reviewd and/or wrote to me directly! Love you all! This is for you, I just couldn't stop myself from giving you one more chapter today. Hope you enjoy it! But on the other hand, I am sad that some think that I am wrong in posting this story here... sorry if I offended anybody, that was never my intention. I always made clear that this is mere fiction and I mean no disrespect, just to survive this horrible hiatus like the rest of you... If anybody has a suggestion where I should be posting this story instead (or as well?), other than tumblr, please tell me. Right now I am not sure if I should or will continue this story (although I have so much more to write...). What are your thoughts?  
_

_This chapter is Beckett and Castle, just to be sure... I've seen the tweet from "Castle and Beckett" and I couldn't help myself. Please enjoy  
_

_Love, Jojo  
_

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**The other day…**

**4) Roses**

_(Tweets taken from the "real" ABC tweets in the name of Rick Castle and Kate Beckett. If you wanna see them for yourself, I have a copy on my tumblr)_

_**Richard Castle: ( MuseKBeckett) :** If I had eleven roses and you, I'd have a dozen._

_**Kate Beckett: ( WritRCastle_) :** Wow Castle, I never knew that about you._

_**Richard Castle: ( MuseKBeckett) :** What's that?_

_**Kate Beckett: ( WritRCastle_) :** That you're a woman._

Kate Beckett stares at her phone for the hundredth time the last hour, her heart plummeting just as many times when she notices the blank screen.

Why doesn't he answer? Why no banter, no protests, no whining, no nothing? Why only…silence?

Not able to sit still any longer, she gets up from her couch, book abandoned and travels to the kitchen where she picks up her kitchen cloth and wipes the clean counter. Had she done something wrong? She was only playing with him, after all… She was being funny. She didn't really mean to affront him.

Or did she? Maybe…maybe she was just embarrassed by his open tenderness? Perhaps she is so used to maintaining her tough woman persona that helped her survive in her difficult job that she overreacted and rebuffed him in a most cruel way without thinking it through when all he wanted to do was be romantic? Surely it had not been that bad.

She quickly opens her twitter account and reads through the messages again before wincing and placing the phone back down. Oh this was so bad…and with his active imagination…

Deciding that two hours without a response from him was long enough, she picks up her phone again and texts him directly.

_Can I still come over tonight?_

They had planned a quiet night in, movie and lasagna but now she wasn't sure she was welcome anymore. Kate waits with bated breath for his reply and her heart jumps in her throat when only three minutes later, her cell phone chimes.

_Busy writing._

She blinks at her screen, heart heavy and beating painfully. What? Busy writing? That is all? What?

Ever since they got together three and a half months ago, he had not spoken to her so standoffishly and with anything other than affection so that this text seemed to cut deeper than it should have.

She is aware that he has a deadline coming up but he is obviously angry and her heart reaches out to him. What he must be thinking of her…that she is the most ungrateful being on the planet and cruel and maybe even that she is questioning his manliness? He surely knows better than that, doesn't he?

Kate is so confused at the moment that her head begins throbbing. However, she knows she can't go to bed tonight knowing he is upset with her one way or the other, so she stands up, grabs her purse and car keys and is out the door in a flash.

When the detective arrives at his door, she is surprise to find it ajar. She looks left and right but the corridor is empty. Nonetheless, she knocks tentatively and waits for a sound but hears nothing. Confused, she pushes the door open and calls out a hello but is greeted with silence.

Frowning, she steps into the apartment and closes the door behind her.

"Castle? Hello?"

Then she hears it; the faintest tapping of keys coming from his study, the sound strangely calming to her overactive nerves. Without noticing, a big smile sneaks onto her lips and she automatically moves in the direction of the study when suddenly something catches her eye.

Turning to the left, she sees a new vase on the kitchen counter, soft pink with a ribbon tied around its middle. The vase holds, she notices amused, eleven big, dark red roses and there is a note hanging from them with her name written on the front in a flourished script that she identified as his.

_The most beautiful thing about a rose is not her beauty. It's her rareness, her individuality, her flaws, her frailty and above all, her ability to sting you with her thorns if you are too boisterous in your care for her._

She read the words three times, her mind catching up slowly with the meaning behind his words. She had no right to feel reduced to her beauty, he knew and loved her heart as much as her appearance and although he understood that she wasn't the easiest person to love or to get to know, he accepted her for what she was. He didn't care about her flaws.

Suddenly she feels very shy and undeserving. Silly and ashamed and even more so as she notices that her eyes had quickly begun to gather moisture.

"Don't worry. You'll get used to being romanced." His deep voice sounded from the doorway to his study and she quickly turned to stare at him, rapidly blinking the tears away, the note still clutched in her hand. He just grinned softly at her, arms crossed over his chest, posture relaxed. Kate starts at him for a long moment but quickly gathered her wits.

"Is that a promise?"

Her heart warms with how well he knows her. How much he _cares_. How much he _loves_ her.

He flashes his adorable, crooked smile and she is lost. "Always."

In a heart beat, she has conquered the distance and is catapulting herself into his embrace, only now realizing how much she had missed this, missed him. He embraces her tightly and doesn't let go, happily giving her some of his strength, his unshakable believe in her.

"I love you." She murmurs against his neck, cheeks hot, too embarrassed to look at him but at the same time unbearably happy.

He pulls back a little, only enough so that he can see her face and quickly cups one warm cheek in his big palm. "I know. And I love you."

Her answering smile is blinding and he wastes no more time and leans down to kiss her deeply and affectionately. After an extremely interesting interlude that quickly leaves them both breathless, she sees a boyish grin sneak to his face.

"What?"

"Did you read the back?"

Frowning, she turns the paper that she is still clutching, over and reads the rest of his note.

_PS: If I were a woman baby, I would hardly have been able to make you scream my name like I did last night ;)_

She laughs out loud, her heart happy and as light as feather. "Promises, promises."

Her writer sighs dramatically. "Oh, ye of little faith. Seems like I have to show you once more."

"Yeah, seems like it." She grins broadly at him and squeals in delight when he hoists her over his shoulder and marches determinedly in direction of his bedroom where he intends to do just that.


	5. Summer goddess

_Hey guys. I just wanna say thank you for all the support and love. I really appreciate it! Makes my day ^^  
_

_Here is another one with Beckett/Castle because I have been inspired by the new picture of Stana, the one where she has those beautiful curls. Look it up on my tumblr if you haven't seen it yet, it's awesome!  
_

_Love, Jojo  
_

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**The other day…**

**5) Summer goddess**

Kate Beckett, former NYPD detective and usually very suave and confident, modern woman, was almost shamed of herself when she realized that she was looking in the mirror, again. It must be the tenth time in the last half hour and although her appearance had not changed since she stepped out of her bathroom, fully dressed and prepared for the evening, she couldn't seem to be able to stop her feet from taking her back to the mirror.

Looking inside the smooth surface, again, she noticed what she was doing and scoffed at herself before releasing the boldly curled strand of hair that she had been twiddling around her finger.

'Damn woman, calm down!' she berated herself silently, glaring at her reflection.

"It's just dinner! Dinner with Castle, no less. No reason to be freaking out, no, no reason at all. I mean, sure, you haven't been apart for a whole day for nearly a month now and you _know_ you loved every second of the time together... so why are you so nervous? It's going to be fine. Dammit, talking to yourself is not a good sign either."

Turning demonstratively away from the mirror, the woman walked back to the kitchen in order to check, again, on dinner. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she realized to her great annoyance that only six minutes had passed since she had last done so.

'Well, at least he'll be here in half an hour.'

Sighing, she looked over at the decorated table and at the living room, finding nothing new to fix. The anxious butterflies in her stomach were dancing wildly, crazily at the thought of dinner with her _boyfriend_ and that only annoyed her more. It's not like she was a teenager and this was her first date. So what if she hadn't cooked for him since they got together, or if she made a complete fool out of herself, or if he did not like her new haircut. It's not like she needed his-

"Not like the hair?" she whispered her thoughts aloud in horror and promptly found herself in front of her mirror, pulling at the elaborately styled tresses.

'Damn, he'll laugh at me. He'll see how much I've been thinking about this. I mean, I even had my hair done today! Damn, damn and damn. What was I thinking? I should have stuck to my usual, casual pony tail and sweats.' she glanced down at the new, strapless, knee long, blue baby doll summer dress that was sprinkled all over with tiny white flowers and her matching white ballerinas. And the hair...

'This is too much,' she panicked. 'This is surely too much. I'll change into my jeans, yes. No. Oh god. I can't do this. I'll tell him I am sick. Yes, that would be best. It's not too late to cancel, right? Not too late... still reasonable and I'm sure he would understand if-'

She was startled out of her reverie by a loud ringing that actually made her jump a little. The front door. Shit. Definitely too late to cancel now.

'He's twenty two minutes early,' she thought disgruntled as she considered whether the sudden nauseous feeling in her stomach was a good sign. Glancing one last time into the mirror and tugging a few curls back in place, she hurried over and opened the door.

"Hey!" she breathed out, surprised to find that her breath had simply gone out of her lungs.

"Hey," he answered automatically with a smile. "Sorry I'm early, I just couldn't-" the writer cut himself off as he took in her appearance, looking at her from head to toe and back again and she watched with giddy excitement as his jaw slowly opened in an almost comical fashion.

Feeling empowered by his dumbstruck expression of awe, her nerves, to her surprise, almost completely gone, she let him take her in for a few more seconds with only the hint of the real extent of happiness showing on her smile before she made a sweeping gesture with her hand. "Come on in."

That catapulted him instantly into action. "Yes, thank you. Of course. Thank you. Yes."

He quickly but with jerky, stiff movement stepped into her apartment, flowers and a bottle of wine still clutched in his hands. Kate closed the door, her heart all of a sudden very light and the relieve at seeing him was so immense that she leaned back against the wood to steady herself.

They stared at each other across the hall, silently, intensely, the air between them suddenly sizzling with excess electricity.

Rick looked good, was her first clear thought, with his dark shirt that had three open buttons, his leather jacket and tight dark jeans. She couldn't help but do some ogling of her own and quickly lost track of time. He was the first to gather his wits and placed the bottle of wine on the table nearby.

"Hey." Castle breathed out, a big, stupid grin plastered firmly on his face as his eyes feasted on the magnificent sight that was Kate Beckett.

"You said that already," she reminded him softly, basking in the warm glow his fervid gaze had created in her tummy. 'Yes, definitely love sick teenager. Sue me.'

He grinned in response and stepped one feet closer. "Here, these are for you," he held out a big bouquet of the most beautiful white and pink lilies she had ever seen and she silently loved that he had not simply picked roses.

"Thank you," she beamed at him, for a moment shy again as she took the flowers from him, her back still plastered against the door. She peered coyly up at him from under her lashes.

He simply continued to stare at her, his eyes not able to leave her body, unashamedly checkng her out until they finally settled on her hair.

For a long, gruesome second she thought he was about to make fun of it but his eyes softened imperceptive. "You are so beautiful," the writer breathed out, only the tiniest bit embarrassed that his mind couldn't come up with a more accurate, flourished description of her beauty while at the same time his mind proceeded to notice that she had gone to the hair saloon for their little date and how lovely she looked with the new, blonde highlights and the elaborate curls that made her look like a normal, carefree young woman in love. She was glowing, positively radiant and he couldn't stop all these emotions from shining through in his eyes.

He loved that she was wearing ballerinas which to him meant that she was lowering her guard in a very intimate way. That she was trusting him enough to not care about him being taller than her and he, in turn, adored that he could wrap himself so wholly around her, trying to tuck her safely away against his body, keep her safe and sound forever.

Her breath caught in her throat, the intensity in his voice and gaze actually rendering her speechless for a moment. "And I adore the hair," he added with a stupid grin and that was all it took. Kate flung herself into his arms, clutching on to him for dear life as she proceeded to kiss the living daylights out of him.

After a very interesting and entirely satisfying greeting, they pulled apart and grinned madly at each other, foreheads still touching, breaths coming fast and quick and playfully intermingling.

"Hey," he breathed out exaggeratedly deep, actually laughing at her twitching nose and tightning his arms around her for a moment.

She thought about reminding him again that he had already said that but instead said: "I missed you."

"I noticed," he smirked but bent to quickly kiss her before she could comment or berate. "I missed you too."

She sighed happily, moving her forehead to rest on his shoulder, feeling that all the tension and anxiety had magically and completely disappeared.

"You look like a summer goddess," he murmured against her hair before placing a tender kiss to her temple. She stiffened and pulled back to look at him, long and hard.

"That's it," she announced determinedly as she pulled away from his embrace and took his hand in hers. "We're skipping dinner."

"Maybe postpone? I'm really hungry," he grinned but obediently followed her into the bedroom.

Beckett turned her head to look at him, one eye brow raised in astonishment. Seriously? Well, it's his own fault for saying such sweet things to her.

"Deal with it, Castle. Imagine how hungry you'll be once I'm done with you," she smirked naughtily and he groaned loudly.

This woman will be the death of him. Definitely.

Dying had never, ever been so much fun.


	6. Pens

_Hello people, you still here? I just wanna say thanks for the nice comments I keep getting, you guys are awesome! This is just a tiny sweet Andrew/Terri chapter and I went back to the roots. Since tons of people ask for more Stanathan, I have two steamy Stanathan ones coming up right after this but I think I'll wait till this story is up to 60 reviews. Let's see if you guys can do it! Still love your wonderful reviews and I'm trying to write down all the amazing ideas you give me and turn them into chapters! Thanks again, have a great week and only 8 weeks to go people! YAY!  
_

_Love you to bits, Jojo  
_

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**The other day…**

**6) Pens**

Andrew: How is it that there is NEVER a stupid pen around when I need one?

Andrew Marlowe yelled for what seemed like the 20th time this morning, irritation clear in his voice and in the lines of his face. In fact, he had so often complained about this exact problem in the last two days that people stopped listening and chose to walk in the opposite direction whenever he yelled anything in combination with the word "pen". Not that they hadn't tried to help him out. They had surely sacrificed about thirty pens but their boss seemed to always lose them somewhere!

The director scoffs again, rather loudly. He would never admit how much the pressure of this new season was getting to him and more often than not, he felt like his head would explode. Probably the uncertainty about this new path they were taking. He was sure everything would settle down pretty soon, at least that's what his wife told him.

Andrew: *groans* Seriously, people! *looks around and wonders where all the staff has disappeared to. Frowns, then pats his jacket pocket to retrieve his phone that has just vibrated.*

_Found your pens. Holding them to ransom. Meet me in your office in 5._

Andrew's frown deepens as he glances at the name on the top of the screen. What the-?

Andrew: *screams to nobody in particular while walking away* Let's take 5, people.

Three minutes later he walks through his office door, locking it behind him. Then he turns to look at the woman lounging on his couch.

Terri: Hello, lover.

Andrew: *grins and walks closer* Hello, not so mysterious kidnapper. I hear you are here to negotiate the terms of a certain kidnapping case?

Terri: *grins* Honey, it's not kidnapping if you lose all your pens in our bed…

Andrew: *feigns shock* Whatever could you possibly mean? I never lose anything.

Terri: *scoffs* Yeah? Tell that to our ruined bed sheets.

Andrew: *grins wickedly and advances a couple steps* Ruined?

Terri: Were you really too distracted this morning to notice all the ink stains? The **new** ink stains?

Andrew: *pretends to ponder, index finger to chin* Why, I believe I was pretty distracted.

Terri: *giggling* You've been especially distracted since we started shooting, dear. Every night you are just too distracted to take all your clothes off before you attack me and every morning I wake up with ink stains all over my body. And the sheets.

Andrew: *now towering over her* Hmm… I like ink stains all over your body. Shows you're mine.

Terri: *laughs heartily* Are you going to pull a Castle and sign my chest next?

Andrew: Oh, that is a superb idea, lovely wife of mine. And I think I should start practicing right away. *reaches over to the small pile of pens on his desk that Terri brought until she slaps his hand away*

Terri: *shakes her head* Oh no…. You're not getting your pens back that easy!

Andrew: *smirks darkly then bends down to kiss her neck* Well, seems like I have to work especially hard to get them back from you. *gently bites her shoulder and his arms encircle her*

Terri: *squeals and holds her hands up to place them on his chest* Oh!

And for the next hour, only happy laughter and squeals of delight could be heard from the Master's office.


	7. Missed you

_Hey guys! Just so you know, you are all amazing! You faced and won my little challange and the result just blew me away. THANK YOU! As a reward I took extra time and care to make sure this chapter as amazing as I can. I really hope you enjoy it! _

_Meanwhile, I thought of a little game for this one (to pass the gruesome time till September). I'll upload next at 107 reviews, so the next 47 (hehe, gotta love 47) people who comment will enter my contest and I'll randomly pick one of them to choose which chapter will be next (he or she will get to read some chapter and then they may choose their favorite). Sound good?  
_

_Love you to bits, Jojo  
_

_ps: this is all just pure fiction out of my imagination. A girl can dream, right?  
_

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**The other day…**

**7) Missed you**

Molly looked up from the script that she had been reading to see Nathan strolling casually over to her. Her face immediately lit up and she put the paper down on the table.

"Hey!" she exclaimed happily and ran over to hug him. The older man smiled in return and gladly returned the embrace. "Hey pumpkin…" he said, dropping a kiss on the crown of her head. " You doing ok?"

"Oh yeah," the redhead exclaimed excitedly. "I absolutely love the new script and I am so excited for the photo shoot. What about you?"

"Fine, thank you. I was looking for Stana, actually. Have you seen her?"

Molly nodded and pointed to the right. "I believe she went to get another coffee."

Nathan laughed readily and then winked at her. "Of course, where else would she be?

They shared a laugh and he squeezed her arm. "See you in a bit."

Molly waved with a smile and looked after him for a long moment before returning to reading her script.

Two minutes later, Nathan poked his head inside the break room, the one with the _good_ coffee machine, knowing exactly that he would find her there. The picture he found was almost identical to the one he had created in his mind and this pleased him immensely.

He grinned broadly. "Why doesn't it surprise me to find you here? Precisely where I left you all those weeks ago?"

The tall woman started a bit at the sudden intrusion to her pondering thoughts and wasted no time in turning her head around to glare at the intruder. "Nathan! Oh dear lord, you startled me! Didn't anybody ever tell you not to sneak up on people?"

The smug man just continued to grin at her and leaned to the left, supporting his upper body against the door frame, arms casually crossed over his chest, one eyebrow raised in silent amusement. Stana took a deep breath and carefully put her mug down, turning away from the foamer where she had been about to put the finishing touches to her coffee. Not just one but two mugs were placed next to the machine, he noticed from the corner of his eye with a warm twitching in the region where his heart was beating just a tad faster.

Suddenly, a huge smile replaced the frown on her face and it was like her whole demeanor was doing a once over. The actress turned her whole body to him, the nervous feeling that she had been harboring in her stomach for days all but gone. She leaned back against the counter, her gaze fixed on him.

"Nathan…" she breathed out, softly but with profound feeling and he could have sworn she blushed.

That was new. His expression turned serious and with a quick look over his shoulder, he stepped inside the room and closed the door silently behind him before leaning his back against it. Their gazes locked again, savoring the sight of the other person that they hadn't seen in weeks. The actors began to move at the same time, slowly approaching each other, their feet dragging them forward unwavering in their destination.

When they collided, it was as if the rest of the world had fallen away completely. As cliche as it sounded it was just like that that time simply stopped. Nothing and nobody existed anymore but the two of them; no sound intruded into their private bubble except for the heavy beating of their hearts that echoed loudly in their ears.

They embraced tightly, crushingly, all consuming and they didn't speak for a very long moment. Instead, they let the silence lay over them like a dusting of silk, comforting, familiar and perfect. A new found part of them that they had just recently started exploring sang in exultation at being reunited. A part they didn't know needed satisfaction until it nearly burst into song and dance from the surprising feeling of wholeness that being in the others' arms created.

They held on for a while and he was the one to pull away first, just far enough for him to easily look into her eyes which were almost at his level thanks to her heels. Enjoying the warm smile on her face, he hardly noticed his hand that had left its position on her back and slid up to glide over her hair once to eventually come to rest against the back of her head.

Nathan smiled brightly, moving his forehead to collide with hers and breathed out. "Hello."

She couldn't do anything but smile back just as brightly. "Hello."

"Missed you," he retorted without preamble and her heart skipped a beat at his confession.

"Missed you," the young woman answered without hesitation, letting her nose graze his for a second.

He leaned down further and nuzzled his nose against her chin, enjoying the feel of her satin soft skin warm and tantalizing against his. She subconsciously tilted her head back, her breath catching in her throat.

A nagging thought in the back of her mind reminded her of their location and it made her pull back slightly. "Maybe we shouldn't… Everybody could just…"

Ignoring her comment, he studied her face for a long moment, as intensely as he had ever studied her, his eyes imploring hers and searching for answers to his unspoken questions. Answers to the doubts that he had involuntarily been harboring during the past weeks while studying her perfect features for any changes. It made him almost ridiculously happy that he found her as flawless as he remembered her, if not more breathtaking than she had been two months ago.

A sudden and honest grin sprang to his lips and Nathan tightened his arms around her.

"I promised many people at Comic Con that there is going be a lot more kissing this season… I think this is as good a time as any to start with it."

Achingly slow, his face neared hers and she felt her breath leave her lungs in a long exhalation that could possibly have been his name. He smiled warmly, rubbing his nose along her cheek, over her own nose to the other cheek. Ocean blue met olive green in a familiar dance, twinkling, questioning, promising, conveying they have been missed dearly.

"Just keeping my promise," he finally whispered when she offered no opposition and leaned down so there was barely more than air separating their lips but still giving her the final say.

A soft sigh escaped Stana's lips and her eyes dropped close without another thought. Her arms tightened around his neck and she pushed herself towards him, closing the gap with her own lips.

Tingles erupted where they touched skin, the blood in their veins soared, boiled over, sang to the other. They held on tighter, clutching on for dear life, effortlessly falling into one another until the line of separate bodies was nothing but a vague suggestion.

She moaned in bliss when he seamlessly deepened the kiss, surprised at her own reaction. If she were being truthful with herself, she hadn't been aware of just how much she had missed this, how vital this had become to her heart's peace in only a very short time and she felt herself go completely pliant in his arms. It was almost embarrassing how gooey her legs felt but he only held her more firmly, his lips following her lips wherever they took him and she couldn't have mistaken the low grumble of pleasure that came from deep within his chest.

They just stood there, kissing deeply, sharing their exhilaration until air ran out.

"I _really_ missed you," the man stated, the grin returning to his features.

"Me too," she whispered and regarded him for a second, reveling in the naughty smirk she only ever got to see when they were alone. The real one that was private and intimate and that she just now realized she had missed very much over the last couple months. It really has been too long. Ever since that night…oh that night two months ago, after they finished shooting… that night that had been replaying in her mind ever since and she simply couldn't get it out of her head.

A deep blush crept over her cheeks which caused him to raise an eyebrow in question. Trying to overplay her embarrassment, she raised her fingers and touched them to his jaw, focusing on tracing the strong line she knew was there instead of catching his gaze in that moment.

"You know we still have to talk about…" she whispered in the softest voice and had he not been focused on her lips with all of his being he surely would have missed her words. Slowly, his own hand came up and big, warm fingers cupped her cheek until it rested snugly against his palm. He tilted her head upward so that their eyes could meet again.

Nathan stared deeply into her eyes, feeling his heart race even more as images from that stormy night not too long ago unbidden invaded his every thought. The special night, the night that _meant_ everything and that had _changed_ everything. Ironically, it had been the night that had finally brought their characters together.

He hesitated for a moment and looked around, feeling as if the room had just now materialized back into existence. He took a step back but kept her hands between his own and once again looked intensely at her, already feeling the cold air that had crept between them like a chilling shower of reality. "I know we have to talk about a lot but I am not sure right now is-"

As if on cue, the door swung open and Andrew entered the room, smiling brightly as he spotted his two leads that stood in the middle of the room, holding hands. "Here you are guys. I've been looking everywhere for you. Are you coming over? Prep talk is about to start and then we have to get the photo shooting started."

Stana quickly took another step back and smiled brightly at Andrew. "Of course, we're coming right away."

Andrew laughed and waved before turning back to the door. "Great. See you in a second."

She could only stare after the older man, the fake smile already a distant memory on her lips. Sighing, she began to walk past her stunned on-screen lover who still hadn't moved but before she could bring herself to exit the room, she turned back to stare at the back of her costars head.

Sensing her gaze, he turned to look at her, the pain, longing, fear and desire a heady mix between them until she had to reach out to touch his cheek, offering silent comfort. They remained like this for a long moment until a noise from outside intruded and slapped them over the head with cruel reality once again. Biting her lower lip, Stana quickly turned to walk after Andrew before she did something imprudent that she might later regret.

Nathan took a deep breath and rubbed both his hands over his face, trying desperately to wipe away the conflicted expression. He knew he couldn't face his colleagues as rattled as he felt. Sighing, he spotted the half finished mugs of coffee and gratefully abandoned himself to the task of finishing them, anything to stop his mind from spinning.

'I hate reality.'

A last, heavy, cleansing sigh from deep in his chest escaped his lips when he was finished with the foam. Then he took the two mugs and exited the room, wondering if there as a possibility that this could end happily.

An sudden image of her face smiling at him as brightly as the sun popped into his mind and were he the strongest man alive, difficult and confusing circumstances or not, he couldn't have stopped the answering smile that snuck on his lips for the world.


End file.
